| Class: | Group 1 |
| Horse Race: | King Charles III Stakes |
| Location: | Ascot Racecourse Ascot, England |
| Inaugurated: | 1860 |
| Race Type: | Flat / Thoroughbred |
| Website: | Ascot |
| Distance: | 5f (1,006 metres) |
| Surface: | Turf |
| Track: | Straight |
| Qualification: | Three-years-old and up |
| Weight: | 9 st 1 lb (3yo); 9 st 7 lb (4yo+) Allowances 3 lb for fillies and mares |
| Purse: | £600,000 (2023) 1st: £355,855 |
| Bonuses: | see Global Sprint Challenge |
|}The King Charles III Stakes (formerly the King's Stand Stakes) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.
The event was created as a result of bad weather at Royal Ascot in 1860. Heavy rain made it impossible to run the Royal Stand Plate over its usual distance of 2 miles, so it was shortened to 5 furlongs on the only raceable part of the course. The amended version was called the Queen's Stand Plate, and it subsequently became the most important sprint at the Royal meeting. For a period it was open to horses aged two or older. It was renamed the King's Stand Stakes following the death of Queen Victoria and the accession of King Edward VII in 1901. [1]
The present system of race grading was introduced in 1971, and the King's Stand Stakes was given Group 1 status in 1973. It was downgraded to Group 2 level in 1988.
The King's Stand Stakes became part of a new international race series, the Global Sprint Challenge, in 2005. It consequently featured a number of high-quality contenders from overseas, and it regained Group 1 status in 2008. It is now the fourth leg of the series, preceded by the KrisFlyer International Sprint and followed by the Golden Jubilee Stakes.
It was renamed the King Charles III Stakes in 2023 to mark the King‘s 75th birthday. [2] The race is currently held on the opening day of the Royal Ascot meeting.
Most successful horse (2 wins):
Leading jockey (7 wins):
Leading trainer (5 wins):
Leading owner (4 wins):
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Amber Rama | 3 | Yves Saint-Martin | François Mathet | Arpad Plesch | 0:59.30 | |
| 1971 | Swing Easy | 3 | Lester Piggott | Jeremy Tree | Jock Whitney | 1:09.20 | |
| 1972 | Sweet Revenge | 5 | Geoff Lewis | Atty Corbett | Mrs B Attenborough | 1:01.90 | |
| 1973 | Abergwaun | 5 | Lester Piggott | Vincent O'Brien | Charles St George | 1:02.70 | |
| 1974 | Bay Express | 3 | Brian Taylor | Peter Nelson | P Miller | 0:59.91 | |
| 1975 | Flirting Around | 4 | Yves Saint-Martin | Robert Carver | A Hausmann | 1:00.39 | |
| 1976 | Lochnager | 4 | Edward Hide | Mick Easterby | Charles Spence | 1:02.30 | |
| 1977 | Godswalk | 3 | Lester Piggott | Vincent O'Brien | Robert Sangster | 1:02.20 | |
| 1978 | Solinus | 3 | Lester Piggott | Vincent O'Brien | Danny Schwartz | 1:02.61 | |
| 1979 | Double Form | 4 | John Reid | Fulke Johnson Houghton | Baroness H. Thyssen | 1:01.03 | |
| 1980 | African Song | 3 | Pat Eddery | Paul Kelleway | Geoffrey Kaye | 1:02.30 | |
| 1981 | Marwell | 3 | Walter Swinburn | Michael Stoute | Sir Edmund Loder | 1:00.40 | |
| 1982 | Fearless Lad | 3 | Edward Hide | Dick Peacock | G. Soulsby | 1:01.40 | |
| 1983 | Sayf El Arab | 3 | Taffy Thomas | Bill O'Gorman | Moufid F. Dabaghi | 1:00.10 | |
| 1984 | Habibti | 4 | Willie Carson | John Dunlop | Mohamed Mutawa | 1:01.70 | |
| 1985 | Never So Bold | 5 | Lester Piggott | Robert Armstrong | Edward Kessly | 1:01.70 | |
| 1986 | Last Tycoon | 3 | Cash Asmussen | Robert Collet | Richard C. Strauss | 0:59.28 | |
| 1987 | Bluebird | 3 | Cash Asmussen | Vincent O'Brien | Robert Sangster | 1:05.25 | |
| 1988 | Chilibang | 4 | Willie Carson | John Dunlop | Janice Heinz | 1:00.61 | |
| 1989 | Indian Ridge | 4 | Steve Cauthen | David Elsworth | Anne Coughlan | 1:01.36 | |
| 1990 | Dayjur | 3 | Willie Carson | Dick Hern | Hamdan Al Maktoum | 1:01.96 | |
| 1991 | Elbio | 4 | Steve Cauthen | Peter Makin | Brian Brackpool | 1:01.40 | |
| 1992 | Sheikh Albadou | 4 | Walter Swinburn | Alex Scott | Hilal Salem | 1:00.50 | |
| 1993 | Elbio | 6 | Walter Swinburn | Peter Makin | Brian Brackpool | 1:03.08 | |
| 1994 | Lochsong | 6 | Frankie Dettori | Ian Balding | Jeff Smith | 1:00.73 | |
| 1995 | Piccolo | 4 | Richard Hughes | Mick Channon | John White & Partners | 0:59.67 | |
| 1996 | Pivotal | 3 | George Duffield | Sir Mark Prescott | Cheveley Park Stud | 0:59.49 | |
| 1997 | Don't Worry Me | 5 | Olivier Peslier | Guy Henrot | Jean-François Gribomont | 1:01.95 | |
| 1998 | Bolshoi | 6 | Carl Lowther | Jack Berry | David & Trish Brown | 1:01.16 | |
| 1999 | Mitcham | 3 | Richard Quinn | Terry Mills | Terry Mills | 1:00.58 | |
| 2000 | Nuclear Debate | 5 | Gérald Mossé | John Hammond | Bob Chester | 1:01.13 | |
| 2001 | Cassandra Go | 5 | Michael Roberts | Geoff Wragg | Trevor Stewart | 1:00.49 | |
| 2002 | Dominica | 3 | Martin Dwyer | Marcus Tregoning | Bobby & Helen Kennard | 1:00.89 | |
| 2003 | Choisir | 4 | Johnny Murtagh | Paul Perry | Terry Wallace & Partners | 0:59.68 | |
| 2004 | The Tatling | 7 | Darryll Holland | Milton Bradley | Dab Hand Racing | 1:00.16 | |
| 2005 | Chineur | 4 | Christophe Lemaire | Mikel Delzangles | Marquesa de Moratalla | 0:57.55 | |
| 2006 | Takeover Target | 7 | Jay Ford | Joe Janiak | Joe & Ben Janiak | 0:59.79 | |
| 2007 | Miss Andretti | 6 | Craig Newitt | Lee Freedman | Buckley / Mueller / Guenzi | 0:57.44 | |
| 2008 | Equiano | 3 | Olivier Peslier | Mauricio Delcher Sánchez | James Acheson | 0:59.35 | |
| 2009 | Scenic Blast | 5 | Steven Arnold | Daniel Morton | Elio Galante & Partners | 0:59.54 | |
| 2010 | Equiano | 5 | Michael Hills | Barry Hills | James Acheson | 0:59.00 | |
| 2011 | Prohibit | 6 | Jim Crowley | Robert Cowell | Dasmal / Rix / Barr et al. | 0:59.50 | |
| 2012 | Little Bridge | 6 | Zac Purton | Danny Shum | Ko Kam Piu | 0:59.69 | |
| 2013 | Sole Power | 6 | Johnny Murtagh | Edward Lynam | Mrs S. Power | 0:58.88 | |
| 2014 | Sole Power | 7 | Richard Hughes | Edward Lynam | Mrs S. Power | 0:58.95 | |
| 2015 | Goldream | 6 | Martin Harley | Robert Cowell | J Sargeant & J Morley | 0:59.11 | |
| 2016 | Profitable | 4 | Adam Kirby | Clive Cox | Alan Spence | 1:02.69 | |
| 2017 | Lady Aurelia | 3 | John Velazquez | Wesley Ward | Stonestreet Stables, Bolton & Leidel | 0:57.45 | |
| 2018 | Blue Point | 4 | William Buick | Charlie Appleby | Godolphin | 0:58.14 | |
| 2019 | Blue Point | 5 | James Doyle | Charlie Appleby | Godolphin | 0:58.53 | |
| 2020 | Battaash | 6 | Jim Crowley | Charles Hills | 0:58.64 | ||
| 2021 | Oxted | 5 | Cieren Fallon | Roger Teal | Piper, Hirschfeld, Fish & Collins | 0:59.03 | |
| 2022 | Nature Strip | 7 | James McDonald | Chris Waller | R A E Lyons, P D Harrison Et Al | 0:58.25 | |
| 2023 | Bradsell | 3 | Hollie Doyle | Archie Watson | Victorious Racing | 1:00.91 | |
| 2024 | Asfoora | 5 | Oisin Murphy | Henry Dwyer | Noor Elaine Farm Pty Ltd | 0:58.60 |
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